Placemaking Leadership Council Inaugural Meeting

The inaugural meeting of the Placemaking Leadership Council took place on April 11-12, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan.

Why Detroit? According to Jeanette Pierce, the Director of Community Relations for D:hive, Detroit is “big enough to matter in the world, but small enough that you can matter in it.” The city is becoming a model for Placemaking in downtowns and neighborhoods alike. In downtown Detroit the 2.5 acre, $20 million, Campus Martius Park has become a magnet for the revival of the city and has attracted millions in new investment in the blocks around it. In neighborhoods across Detroit residents are using Placemaking strategies to strengthen their communities.

Within this inspirational setting, over 300 people from around the world met to debate, discuss, share, celebrate, and develop goals for a Placemaking campaign.

The working groups at the meeting were organized around the following seven agendas:

Building Community through Transportation: Leveraging transportation investments to build stronger communities

Creating Multi-Use Public Destinations

Entrepreneurial Places: Markets, Main streets, and Beyond – The role of Placemaking in advancing local entrepreneurship

Place Capital: Capturing the benefits of Placemaking

Architecture of Place: Taking design practice to the next level to support better places